25 Fun facts about London
Visiting London has never been better than now.
Christmas decorations sprawl in all directions. The city is bursting with happy Londoners and vibrant streets. And Christmas celebrations are like none other in the world.
Before you go, here are fun facts about London to read on the plane. Our Moscow guide Anna went there in the autumn to beat the swarm and here is what she learnt about the city.
The famous 221B Baker St in Sherlock Holmes & Dr. Watson actually takes place at 187 North Gower Street. The apartment is located right above the now famous Speedy’s Café. Come and grab a coffee while Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman filming some scenes.
1. The price of a ticket in the Undeground depends on the direction you are going.
2. There are more Londons in the world we should know about. The USA alone has 8 towns with the same name. Even in Canada there is its own London situated on the river Themes as well.
3. Each Englishman is daily photographed on 50 street surveillance cameras and a least 15 photos of tourists.
4. It will be considered a betrayal towards the government if someone in Great Britain puts a stamp with an image of British monarch in upside down way.
5. It is prohibited to enter House of Parliaments in armor.
6. If London was a separate country, it would be the greatest power of Europe!
7. The world famous landmark of London, Big Ben is actually neither the name of the Clock nor of the Tower. It is the name of the bell that is inside the Clock. The Tower is officially called the Elizabeth tower since 2012.
8. Modern London was formed by two ancient cities — City and Westminster, which together formed a district of greater London.
9. The world’s first subway was built in London in 1863.
10. A well-known landmark of the capital of England is Marble arch, which was originally built as the entrance to Buckingham Palace, but for some reasons, it had never been used. Inside this arch there is a tiny office, which is now used as the police station.
11. The Palace of Westminster, also known as the house of Parliament has over 1,100 rooms, 100 staircases, and 5 km of corridors.
12. With about 270 nationalities and 300 languages spoken, London is considered the most international city in the world. 2.5 million people, one third of Londoners, are foreign born.
13. Taxi drivers must know all the streets and pass the 3 year course “Knowledge”.
14. The Tube is a nickname for the subway that went from cylindrical tunnels, while the Underground — its official name.
15. There is a metro line on which trains are electronically operated and go without drivers at all.
17. Angel Tube Station has the longest escalator in Western Europe — 318 steps.
18. In 2008, the name Muhammad became the most popular for newborn boys in London.
19. London is the first of the world’s major cities in 2010 that imposed restrictions on the movement speed of … pedestrians.
20. In any area you can find the Laundry room, as washing shirts and t-shirts at home is generally not common.
21. London is a city of queues. Residents stand in line, even when there is no queue.
22. London Eye is 135 meters high and is tallest Ferris wheel in Europe. The number of capsules for passengers represents the number of suburbs of London — 32. Each “Cabinet” weighs about 10 tons, and can accommodate 25 people.
23. In 1666 in London there was the biggest fire in the history of the city, called the Great London Fire. About 60% of the city was on fire for over 4 days, the fire destroyed more than 13 thousand buildings. The restoration of the city continued for several decades. According to official data, only 8 people died.
24. The Olympics 2012 in London cost 9.3 billion GBP or US $ 15 billion.
25. London became the first city in the history that hosted the Olympic games for the third time. Competitions have been held here in 1908 and 1948. The Olympic stadium in London is unique in that with 10,000 tons of steel used in construction it is one of the “lightest” in the world. For comparison, the stadium is 75% lighter than its “big brother” in Beijing.
Original source: https://friendlylocalguides.com/blog/25-fun-facts-about-london
